Here's a great winter side dish. I like how the sour cranberries cut the sweetness of the squash (and the sugar).

Ingredients

1 small butternut squash, cubed

2 T butter or olive oil

1 small red onion, sliced into strips

1/2 cup cranberries, sliced in half

2 T brown sugar (or brown rice syrup)

thyme

cinnamon

nutmeg

4 cloves

1/2 cup water

Assembly

Heat oven to 350˚.

Rinse the halved cranberries under cold water to wash away some of the tiny seeds. Drain.

Heat the butter or oil in a skillet and add the onions and cranberries. Stir together until glassy and soft (about 5 minutes). Then, sprinkle with brown sugar, a generous dash of thyme, a small dash each of cinnamon and nutmeg, and the cloves. Mix all together and cook another minute or two. Turn off heat.

Put squash chunks and water in a glass oven dish. Top with onion/cranberry mixture. Cover all with foil and place in oven.

Check in about 20 minutes and stir everything together. If there seems to be a lot of water in the bottom, you can pour some off. Otherwise, keep baking for another 15-20 minutes. When the squash is fork-tender, you're done!

Serves 4 as a side dish. Good for vegetarians--or if you use olive oil and brown rice syrup, it can even be vegan/macrobiotic!